DENVER – University of Idaho sophomore sprinter Ben Ayesu-Attah was honored on Wednesday as the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for his performance the week of Jan. 21-27.

Ayesu-Attah, a second-year Vandal from Coquitlam, British Columbia (Heritage Woods Secondary), won the men’s 400m dash at the Cougar Indoor on Saturday with a meet-record and career-best time of 47.53, after track-size adjustment. That time leads the WAC and ranks 36th in the NCAA so far this season. The honor is his first of the season and the second of his career.

Later in the meet on Saturday, Ayesu-Attah anchored Idaho’s second-place 4x400m relay team, which posted a converted time of 3:15.84, which is second-fastest in the WAC so far this season. He has set meet records in both of his 400m races so far this season.

“He’s had a great start to the season,” Idaho director of track and field/cross country Wayne Phipps said. “Running sub-48 in his opener three weeks ago was well beyond our expectation for that meet, so we knew he was set up to go even faster going into last week.”

Ayesu-Attah will run a 200m, as well as a leg of the team’s 4x400m relay this weekend at the Vandal Indoor and Vandal Collegiate, but Phipps said he expects Ayesu-Attah to be back in his premier event next weekend, when the team heads to Seattle for the Husky Classic.

“We’re hoping he’ll be in the invitational section next weekend at the Husky Classic,” Phipps said. “The bigger track is better suited to his long stride, so I really thing he can go sub-47 when he gets out there.”